Putting aid for a golf putter



1957 c. w. STUART, JR

PUTTING AID FOR A GOLF PUTTER Filed April 22, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 v ZNVENTOR. CHARLES WAYLANB STUART,J12.

I ATTORNEYS Oct. 24, 1967 c. w. STUART, JR

I PUTTING AID FOR A GOLF PUTTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 22, 1965 0 I o 0 I a I o O a I l I a l0 o u 0 0 o v u a u o o a a a c l INVENTOR. $TuA2T,-T12.

C HARLES WAYLANb M MQ/W QM ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofitice 3,348,845 Patented Oct. 24, 1967 3,348,845 PUTTING AID FOR A GOLF PU'ITER Charles Wayland Stuart, Jr., 926 Nottingham Road, Charlotte, N.C. 28211 Filed Apr. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 449,957 9 Claims. (Cl. 273165) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A golf putter having an attachment thereon for aiding in properly addressing and stroking the golf ball, and wherein the attachment takes the form of a hand gripping member having opposed faces of a length and width to enable one hand of a golfer to grip said member with the thumb on one face thereof and the fingers extended in a substantially fiat condition on the other face.

This invention relates to a putting aid for a golf putter and more particularly to a hand grip for a golf putter which aids the golfer in properly addressing and stroking a golf ball during putting.

In putting of a golf ball, golfers have long had problems in properly addressing and stroking the golf ball. It is desirable when putting a golf ball to maintain the face of the putter perpendicular to the desired path of travel of the golf ball during addressing and stroking of the golf ball. In the normal manner of gripping a golf putter with the hands wrapped around the shank of the putter, a golfer has problems in maintaining his hands in the same vertical plane during the addressing and stroking of the golf ball. Most golfers tend to slightly twist their hands during the addressing and stroking action resulting in a twisting of the face of the putter so that the face does not stroke the ball perpendicular to the desired path of travel of the ball.

Various auxiliary grips and attachments for golf putters have been utilized in an attempt to overcome the abovementioned roblems in putting a golf ball. However, none of these auxiliary grips or attachments have proven entirely satisfactory inasmuch as most of these auxiliary grips and attachments require a golfer to grip the same with his hands curved therearound. The curving of the golfers hands around these auxiliary grips also produced tendencies toward twisting of the putter during the addressing and stroking action.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a putting aid for a golf putter which eliminates the problems heretofore encountered in the addressing and stroking of the golf ball.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a hand gripping member on a putter which prevents the golfers hand from being curved around the gripping member to eliminate the tendency to twist the putter and to maintain the face of the club perpendicular to the desired path of travel of the ball.

It has been found by this invention that the above objects may be accomplished by providing a putting aid for a putter comprising an elongate hand gripping member adapted to be mounted on the putter and having opposed faces of a length and width to enable one hand of the golfer to grip the gripping member with the thumb on one face thereof and the fingers in an extended substantially flat condition on the other face thereof. The gripping member includes means on one end thereof for receiving therein the portion of the golfers hand between the thumb and fingers to enable better gripping of the member.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a golfer utilizing the putting aid of this invention on a golf putter;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the golfer of FIGURE 1 utilizing the putting aid of this invention on a golf putter;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view of one side of one form of the putting aid of this invention mounted on a golf putter;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary front elevational view of the putting aid of FIGURE 3 mounted on a golf putter;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the other side of the putting aid of FIGURE 3 mounted on a golf putter;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of the putting aid of FIGURE 3 mounted on a golf putter;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective fragmentary view of one side of the putting aid of FIGURE 3 mounted on a golf putter and illustrating the golfers hands in gripping position thereon;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective fragmentary view of the other side of the putting aid of FIGURE 3 illustrating the golfers hands in gripping position thereon;

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view of the putting aid of FIGURE 3 mounted on a golf putter and taken substantially along the line 9-9 of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 10 is a perspective view of one side of another form of the putting aid of this invention mounted on a golf putter;

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary vertical cross-sectional view of the putting aid of FIGURE 10 mounted on a golf putter and taken substantially along the line 11-11 of FIGURE 10; and

FIGURE 12 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the putting aid of FIGURE 10 mounted on a golf putter and taken substantially along the line 1212 of FIGURE 10.

Referring now to the drawings, a first form of the putting aid of this invention is illustrated in FIGURES 1-9 and comprises a substantially flat hand gripping member 10 having opposed faces 12 and 13 of a length and width to enable one hand of the golfer to grip the member 10 with the thumb in an extended position on one face thereof, hereinafter referred to as the thumb gripping face 12, and the fingers in an extended substantially fiat condition on the other face thereof, hereinafter referred to as the finger gripping face 13. The hand gripping member 10 has a curved recess 11 on one end thereof for receiving and substantially conforming to the curved portion of the golfers hand between the thumb and fingers to enable better gripping of the member 10, as shown in FIGURES 1, 2, 7 and 8. The hand gripping member 10 further includes a depression 14 on the thumb gripping face 12, as shown in FIGURES 5, 6 and 8, for purposes to be hereinafter set forth.

The putting aid of FIGURES 19 further includes releasable mounting means comprising a pair of brackets 16 and 17 carried by the thumb gripping side 12 of the gripping member 10 for receiving the shank 20 of a golf putter 21 therein and threaded members 22 and 23 adjustably mounted in the brackets 16 and 17, respectively, for locking the shank 20 of the putter 21 in desired positions within the brackets 22 and 237 As may be seen in FIG- URES 1 and 2, the hand gripping member 10 may be mounted at desired heights on the shank 26 of the putter 21 according to the size of the golfer and with the thumb gripping face 12 in juxtaposition to and the depression 14- adjacent to one side of the shank 20 of the putter 21 so that the other hand of the golfer may grip the shank of the putter in close proximity to the gripping member with a portion of the forefingers of the other hand disposed within the depression 14 between the gripping member 10 and the shank of the putter 21, as shown in FIGURE 8. The brackets 16 and 17 are so located that the gripping member 10 is adapted to be mounted in parallel relation to the face of the putter 21, with the curved recess 11 slightly forwardly of the shank 20 of the golf putter 21 so that the thumb of the golfer may grip the gripping member 10 on the thumb gripping side 12 thereof which is in juxtaposition to the shank 20 of the putter 21.

With the hand gripping member 10 in this position, the golfer may grip the gripping member 10 with the fingers substantially fiat and fully extended on the finger gripping side 13 and with the thumb on the thumb gripping side 12. The other hand of the golfer may grip theshank 20 of the putter 21 in the normal manner of gripping a golf club during putting. Inasmuch as the hand gripping member 10 is parallel with the face 25 of the putter 21, the golfer may stroke the ball with the face 25 of, the putter 21 generally perpendicular to the desired path of travel of the golf putter. Since the hand of the golfer gripping the hand gripping member 10 is generally flat, a paddling or sweeping action may be obtained which prevents twisting of the putter 21 during the addressing and stroking of the golf ball.

The putting aid of FIGURES l9 further includes means attached to the gripping member 10 and cooperating with finger gripping face 13 for engagingly receiving the fingers of the golfers hand therebctween, for aiding the golfer in maintaining his hand in gripping position on the gripping member. This means comprises a covering member attached to the hand gripping member 10 and passing therearound so as to define a first open pocket 31 on the finger gripping face 13 of the gripping member 10 for snugly receiving the forefingers of the golfers hand therein in the above-described position and a second open pocket 32 on the thumb gripping side 12 of the gripping member 10 for snugly receiving the thumb of the golfers hand therein in the above described position. The first and second pockets 31 and 32.wi1l act to hold the hand of the golfer in gripping position on the gripping member 10'.

In FIGURES l0l2, there is shown a slightly modified form of the putting aid, wherein like reference numerals denote like parts. As may be seen, the putting aid of FIGURES 10-12 is substantially the same as the putting aid of FIGURES 1-9 except that the brackets 16 and 17 of the putting aid of FIGURES l-9 are replaced by a gripping sleeve integrally attached to the thumb gripping face 12 of the hand gripping member 10. The gripping sleeve 40 is adapted to be slidably disposed around the shank of the putter 21 and includes a threaded member 41 passing through the gripping sleeve 40 and adapted to contact the shank 20 of the putter 21 for locking the sleeve 40 and the gripping member 10 in desired positions thereon. As may be seen, the gripping member. 10 of the putting aid of FIGURES 10l2 is adapted to be mounted in the same position on the putter 21, as is the gripping member 10 of the. putting aid of FIGURES 19, for the same reasons as set forth above. In this form the shank includes at least one flat portion 42 to be engaged by the member 41 to aid in positioning the hand gripping member 10.

Thus it may be seen, that this invention has provided a putting aid for a putter which enables a golfer to more accurately stroke a golf ball during putting with the face of the putter maintained substantially perpendicular to the desired path of travel of the golf ball and which will thereby eliminate the problems heretofore encountered in putting a golf ball and in the use of putting aids heretofore incorporated on a putter.

In the drawings and specification there have been set forth several embodiments of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense, only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a golf putter of a putting aid comprising an elongate hand gripping member mounted on the putter and having opposed faces of a length and width to enable one hand of the golfer to grip said member with the thumb on one face thereof and the fingers in an extended substantially fiat condition on the other face thereof, said gripping member having means on one end thereof for receiving therein the portion of the golfers hand between the thumb and fingers to enable better gripping of said member.

2. A putting aid for a golf putter, as set forth in claim 1, in which said hand gripping member is substantially fiat to aid in maintaining the golfers hand in substantially fiat condition thereon, and in which said means for receiving therein the portion of the golfers hand between the thumb and forefingers comprises a curvedrecess defined by one end of said hand gripping member and substantially conforming to the curve of that portion of a golfers hand.

3. A putting aid for a golf putter, as set forth in claim 1, in which said gripping member has a depression on said one face which is in juxtaposition to the shank of the golf putter so that the other hand of the golfer may grip the shank of the putter in close proximity to said gripping member with a portion of the fingers of the other hand disposed within said depression between said gripping member and the shank of the golf putter.

4. A putting aid for a golf putter, as set forth in claim 1,\including means attached to said gripping member and cooperating with said other face for engagingly receiving the fingers of the golfers hand therebetween for aiding th golfer in maintaining his hand in gripping position on said gripping member.

5. A putting aid for a golf putter, as set forth in claim 1, including a covering member attached to said grippin member and passing therearound to define a first open pocket on said other side of said hand gripping member for snugly receiving the fingers of the golfers hand therein and a second open pocket on said one side of said gripping member for snugly receiving the thumb of the golfers hand therein, said first and second pockets aiding the golfer in maintaining his hand in gripping position on said gripping member.

6. The combination with a golf putter of a putting aid comprising a substantially flat, elongate hand gripping member mounted on the golf putter and having opposed faces of a length and width to golfer to grip said member With the thumb engaging one face thereof and the fingers in an extended substantially fiat condition engaging the other face thereof, said gripping member defining a curved recess on one end thereof for receiving therein the portion of the golfers hand between the thumb and fingers to enable better gripping of said member, and said gripping member having a depression on saidone face adjacent said one end which is in juxtaposition to the shank of the golf putter so that the other hand of the golfer may grip theshank of the golf putter in close proximity to said gripping member with a portion of the fingers of the other hand disposed within said depression between said gripping member and the shank of the golf putter, and means attached to said gripping member and cooperating with said other face for snugly receiving the fingers of the golfers hand therebetween for aiding the golfer in maintaining his hand in gripping position on said gripping member.

7. A golf putter comprising a shank, a head attached to said shank and having an outer face for putting a golf ball, an elongate hand gripping member having opposed faces of a length and width to enable one hand of the golfer to grip said member with the thumb on one face thereof and the fingers in an extended substantially flat condition on enable one hand of the the other face thereof, said gripping member having means on one end thereof for receiving therein the portion of the golfers hand between the thumb and fingers to enable better gripping of said member, and releasable mounting means carried by said gripping member for adjustably positioning said gripping member on the shank of the putter in juxtaposition thereto and in parallel relation to the face of said head with said means for receiving the portion of the golfers hand between the thumb and forefingers disposed slightly forwardly of the shank of the golf putter so that the thumb of the golfer may grip said member on the face of said gripping member in juxtaposition to the shank of said putter.

8. A golf putter, as set forth in claim 7, in which said releasable mounting means comprises a pair of brackets secured to said one side of said gripping member for receiving the shank of the golf putter and threaded members adjustably mounted in said brackets for locking the shank of the golf putter in desired positions Within said brackets.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,684,714 9/1928 Perry 9-308 1,971,844 8/1934 Babbitt 9307 2,481,778 9/ 1949 Pearson 273-l 2,93 8,728 5/ 1960 Green 273- ANTON O. OECHSLE, Primary Examiner. R. J. APLEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. THE COMBINATION WITH A GOLF PUTTER OF A PUTTING AID COMPRISING AN ELONGATE HAND GRIPPING MEMBER MOUNTED ON THE PUTTER AND HAVING OPPOSED FACES OF A LENGHT AND WIDTH TO ENABLE ONE HAND OF THE GOLFER TO GRIP SAID MEMBER WITH THE THUMB ON ONE FACE THEREOF AND THE FINGERS IN AN EXTENDED SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT CONDITION ON THE OTHER FACE THEREOF, SAID GRIPPING MEMBER HAVING MEANS ON ONE END THEREOF FOR RECEIVING THEREIN THE PORTION OF THE GOLFER''S HAND BETWEEN THE THUMB AND FINGERS TO ENABLE BETTER GRIPPING OF SAID MEMBER. 